What is a General Form?
A General Form does not have any specific requirements and can be used for just about anything. This type of Form does not record data for specific users. It can be used within the platform or externally but provides you a place within the platform to view/download the submissions.
TIP: Anyone can fill out a General Form, even if they are not a user within the platform. In this case, it will show up as N/A under "User" in Submissions.
CLICK HERE to learn about types of Forms
How do I create a General Form?
Navigate to the Forms menu item, and click + Create Form.
You will then be able to choose General Forms. Alternatively, you can click the dropdown icon beside the + Create Form button and choose from the dropdown menu.
From here, you will be able to build your General Form.
You can choose a Specialty Type, which allows you to use the Form for a more specific purpose, and enter a Title. By default, "Untitled Form" is populated into this field.
CLICK HERE to learn about Form Specialty Types
Allow the Contact to Save Form as Draft
- You can decide if you'd like to offer the option for your end user to save the Form as a Draft. If enabled, the Target will will see a "Save Draft" button alongside the "Submit" button whenever the Form is displayed.
- The Target can save a partially completed form as a Draft and return to it at any time to complete the Form. Be aware that this feature uses cookies to accomplish the goal, so if the Target clears browser cache or prevents cookies, this feature may not work as intended.
Building your Form Fields
Use the dropdown menu to choose Form Fields to add to the Form. Since there are no preset fields, each field you create will need to be configured in the same way that you create a new Custom Field.
CLICK HERE to learn about Custom Fields
Once you add the field, you can rearrange the order by clicking the icon and dragging it into place. You can delete a field by clicking the red icon.
To configure settings for a field, click the arrow.
Required: This field will be required to have input and the user will be unable to submit the form until it has been filled out.
Placeholder: The field will be open for any data input.
Pre-Fill Value: The value you input into the provided field will be shown by default.
Read Only: The field will be seen by the user, but no action will be needed.
Hidden: The field will be hidden from view and the user will be unable to input any data into it.
Subtext: This is a secondary title for the field. You can use this to fill in a description, give an example, or for general information you think would be useful to your Contact filling out the Form.
CSS Class: This field allows you to add your own custom CSS class to the Form Field. You can then target this class in Custom CSS on the Link/Embed tab. You can have multiple classes per field but you will need to separate each class with a comma. Let your imagination run wild!
CSS ID: This field allows you to add a CSS ID to your Form Field. You can then target this ID within your Custom CSS on the Link/Embed tab.Field Styling & Layout Classes: This section contains pre-made CSS classes that will allow you to customize your fields without having to do the code yourself! See the section below for more information.
FIELD STYLING & LAYOUT CLASSES
Below are the classes that are available for you to use. You can have up to 4 columns per row and you can even mix & match as long as the percentages equal 100%. We also have some style classes that will allow you to add emphasis to the important fields.
field_first - Required in the first column of a row when using these classes to make multiple columns.field_half - Directs a field take up 50% of the available width in a rowfield_third - Directs a field take up 33.3% of the available width in a rowfield_fourth - Directs a field take up 25% of the available width in a rowfield_cb - Places a light grey background behind the field and some added paddingfield_important - Places a soft red background with red border and added padding
Usage GuidelinesExample: For two fields on the same row, the field you want on left should have two classes, separated by a comma: field_first, field_half / The field on the right only requires one class: field_half / You can mix & match the classes as long as it adds up to 100% in a row. Remember that the first field in any row should also be given the "field_first" class, separated by a comma.
IMPORTANT: General Forms do not use Custom Fields, so any field you create will be unique to the Form you are creating.
You can use the Insert Content Blocks dropdown to select an HTML block that you can insert before, after, or between fields.
Once added, click the icon to expand the pane and click Edit Content.
A standard editor will appear in which you can add content. Click the <> icon to switch to HTML.
By default, an email will be sent to the Super Admin and Admin detailing the submissions when the Form has been completed by a user.
If you add an Email Form Field, you will be able to Send email to General Form Target (the user filling out the Form) by toggling this option to ON.
TIP: This option will not appear if the Email Form Field has not been added to the Form.
You can toggle to Attach Form Submission PDF to the email if required.
To send more email notifications Click the +icon.
How do I configure Conditional Logic for Fields?
Conditional Logic allows you to create a Form that changes based on user input. Depending on what the Target enters into a field, it can trigger whether or not to Show or Hide a different field.
All Form Fields (with the exception of the "File Upload" type) can be configured to trigger Conditional Logic.
While in the editing screen, you'll see a tab to the right of the screen with an icon. You can click on this at any time to open a side panel, in which you can then configure your Conditional Logic.
CLICK HERE to learn about Conditional Logic
How do I configure Embedding options for a General Form?
During editing of a Form, you can click the Link / Embed button located on the upper right side of the screen.
What you have configured in your Default Form Embed Settings will be applied here. However, you can change these settings individually.
The setting options are identical to the ones in CRM Settings.
CLICK HERE to learn about Form Embed Settings (CRM Settings)
How do I switch between Forms?
On the top right you will see a dropdown. It will be titled the name of the current Form you are working on. You can easily switch to a different Form and a different Form type by clicking on the dropdown and selecting one from the list.
How do I use a General Form?
On the Link / Embed screen, you will have many options to share your Form.
Direct Link: Simply copy this link and share it where ever you'd like. You can also create a custom Friendly URL; learn more below.
Embed Code: Use this code to embed your Form outside of the platform, such as a page on your website.
Placeholder: Simply click the Placeholder to copy it to your clipboard. You can use this Placeholder in any Portal Page to embed it.
Friendly URL: This provides the opportunity to make your links look more presentable. Here, you can type out the ending of your URL, such as; https://clients.deepfocuslabs.com/frm/InterestForm.
You can also click the ID in the Forms List View to copy the Placeholder.
TIP: The Embed Code is for external use and the Placeholder is for internal use. The Direct Link can be used in either.
CLICK HERE to learn about Friendly URLs
How do Submit a General Form for someone else?
Staff Submit can be completed by you or members of your staff to add new data or update data in the platform.
In the Forms List View, click the Options menu button.
Select the Staff Submit option and the General Form will open in a new tab with a Contact selector. Select a user from the dropdown and fill out the rest of the form with the appropriate information. When submitted, the data will be updated and all associated automations will be instantly triggered.
How do I view submissions for my General Form?
While viewing Forms, click the Options menu button and select Submissions.
Alternatively, you can click the Submissions button while editing the Form, located on the right-hand side of the screen.
If the submission is by a Contact, you will see their Name and Email listed. For unregistered users, it will show as "N/A." You can also see the precise date and time the Form was submitted.
To view the submissions, just click directly on the row, or click the Options menu button and select View.
IMPORTANT: Any files uploaded to the Form will only be accessible here, and cannot be found in the Files menu.
To manage submissions, click the Options menu button beside the submission you'd like to manage.
View: A modal will appear displaying the submission.
Download PDF: Download a PDF version of the submission document.
Delete: Remove the submission form the platform. Note: This cannot be undone.